Cardinals retire Sutter's number 42

Former Cardinal Bruce Sutter speaks to the crowd Sunday during a ceremony where his number 42 was retired (UPI photo/Bill Greenblatt)

By AP/KWMU

St. Louis, MO – The Cardinals-Giants game was rained out Sunday, but not before the team took time to retire the number 42 jersey of Bruce Sutter.

The closer helped pioneer the split-fingered fastball and was inducted into the Hall of Fame this year.

Sutters also was a key component on the Cardinals' last World Series championship team in 1982. He had 45 of his 300 saves that season and struck out the Brewers' Gorman Thomas for the final out in the World Series.

Whitey Herzog acquired and then managed Sutter in the championship season, and now says he was the most dominant and best reliever he's ever seen.

It's the ninth jersey retired by the team. The number 42 actually already was retired by every team in baseball as a tribute to Jackie Robinson, who broke the color barrier and wore that number.